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New England Immortals #1
Believe
Andrea Dayla is about to start the next chapter of her life, college, leaving the only family she’s ever known behind. It was going to be scary enough being away from home in a strange city but little did she know Hanover had far scarier things in residence; the truth.
For Andrea, vampires were just part of the mythical stories her uncle had told her since as long as she could remember. She didn’t believe they exist until she meets the Brennen’s. Uncle Greg had always painted vampires in a bad light; pure evil more like. Andrea refuses to acknowledge Shane or his family as vile creatures.
Things were bad enough when she fell in love with Shane, she was mortal but of course it had to get worse. She discovers her family secret, they were immortal vampire hunters. Hunting and killing vampires to protect the humans was who she was, it was what she was made fore. Trouble is that the other part of her is ruled by her love for Shane and his family.
Torn between her love for a vampire and her loyalty to her kind, Andrea will have to make choices that will save a part of herself and destroy others. Too bad that’s not all she has to worry about… She’ll just have to believe!
For Andrea, vampires were just part of the mythical stories her uncle had told her since as long as she could remember. She didn’t believe they exist until she meets the Brennen’s. Uncle Greg had always painted vampires in a bad light; pure evil more like. Andrea refuses to acknowledge Shane or his family as vile creatures.
Things were bad enough when she fell in love with Shane, she was mortal but of course it had to get worse. She discovers her family secret, they were immortal vampire hunters. Hunting and killing vampires to protect the humans was who she was, it was what she was made fore. Trouble is that the other part of her is ruled by her love for Shane and his family.
Torn between her love for a vampire and her loyalty to her kind, Andrea will have to make choices that will save a part of herself and destroy others. Too bad that’s not all she has to worry about… She’ll just have to believe!
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First published March 2, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 9, 2014
After reading countless "vampire books", I have sworn myself off of reading anymore vampire-related books. But after reading the synopsis of Believe, I had this sudden urge to go grab a copy of this book and read it right that instant. And so, I very much appreciate the free ebook copy given by Ms. Weever in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly had high hopes for Believe but unfortunately, the book wasn't at all what I expected it to be. I know that I'll love a book through reading the first few pages of it, but in the case of Believe, I just knew that I wouldn't like it. The start of the book was a bit off for me. It felt like I was reading a book in fast forward and I was missing out on a lot. Also, there were so many characters it was kinda hard to keep track of them all and some of them don't really hold much part in the story and hence they're kinda unnecessary. Another thing about Believe is the grammar and spelling errors (being the person that I am, that bothered me a lot. But then again nobody's perfect so I can't really blame anyone for that). And lastly, the similarities with Twilight. I'm not a Twilight hater or anything but I'm not a big fan of it either.
But having said the above-mentioned, what I liked about the book is Andrea Dayla. She has a very bubbly, easygoing personality and I liked that about her. She's very friendly with everyone and she says what's on her mind. The book did kept me interested that I read the whole thing, so I guess that's a plus.
I know how much time and effort an author (nope, I'm not one) has to put into writing a book. Honestly, it sucks to give this book two stars (and I feel really bad) but then, that wouldn't be fair to the author who wants to know how readers respond to her books - So I guess the least I can do is be true to my word and give an honest review.
I'm not sure if I'll read the next book though. I guess we'll see. #end#
I honestly had high hopes for Believe but unfortunately, the book wasn't at all what I expected it to be. I know that I'll love a book through reading the first few pages of it, but in the case of Believe, I just knew that I wouldn't like it. The start of the book was a bit off for me. It felt like I was reading a book in fast forward and I was missing out on a lot. Also, there were so many characters it was kinda hard to keep track of them all and some of them don't really hold much part in the story and hence they're kinda unnecessary. Another thing about Believe is the grammar and spelling errors (being the person that I am, that bothered me a lot. But then again nobody's perfect so I can't really blame anyone for that). And lastly, the similarities with Twilight. I'm not a Twilight hater or anything but I'm not a big fan of it either.
But having said the above-mentioned, what I liked about the book is Andrea Dayla. She has a very bubbly, easygoing personality and I liked that about her. She's very friendly with everyone and she says what's on her mind. The book did kept me interested that I read the whole thing, so I guess that's a plus.
I know how much time and effort an author (nope, I'm not one) has to put into writing a book. Honestly, it sucks to give this book two stars (and I feel really bad) but then, that wouldn't be fair to the author who wants to know how readers respond to her books - So I guess the least I can do is be true to my word and give an honest review.
I'm not sure if I'll read the next book though. I guess we'll see. #end#
May 29, 2012
I cannot do this
- This was extremely boring.
- I never want to read this. Ever.
- This was too similar to Twilight, apart from the Crusnik crap.
- The protagonist was, in my opinion, extremely stupid.
- She was annoying.
- And what's with the over-reacting shite ?
- Worst book, SMH.
- Overall, the bad rule over the good.
- Big mistake reading this.
- Aw, well what do you know? There were spelling mistakes as well.
NOTE: I GAVE UP ON CHAPTER TEN.
May 23, 2012
As seen on -> http://readingbythebeach.blogspot.com...
I've had Believe sitting in my TBR pile for awhile and when I had the opportunity to snatch it up on Shut Up & Read, I did. I was eager to start because what can I say? I'm a sucker for vampires vs. vampire hunters. The ultimate forbidden romance, but I have to admit that I had an extremely hard time getting into the story.
The first half of the story I was just not feeling it at all, so I had to set it aside for awhile and consider if I was going to continue reading or not. I did continue reading, and I can say that the story and the writing did get marginally better, but I still wasn't completely satisfied.
Believe has a great concept behind it, it's interesting and very complex. . . there's a lot going on with many characters, but that great concept is hidden behind the many, many mistakes.
1. Grammatical errors. There are a lot of misspelled words, missing words, misplaced words, and some formatting issues and other editing errors along those lines. My eyes were constantly stumbling across them and it prevented me from being drawn into the story. One example, Chapter 20 has the first 3 paragraphs in bold text then every other paragraph after that.
2. Inconsistencies. Major downfall for a published work. I can understand one or two that were missed during revisions and editing, but Believe was riddled with them. It was quite frustrating, especially because I'm a details person, so those details stand-out to me and these were blinding me in the eyes. There's tiny inconsistencies and big ones. For example, I'm pretty sure that Shane's eyes are blue, but they were also mentioned as copper and honey then it was mentioned (18% through) that since he's a vampire his eyes change colors. But then, after that information his eyes are only mentioned as blue. Another example, Andrea wakes up at 6:20am for her first day of work, class starts at 7pm that night. She works all day then leaves work to make it to her class, then after class goes back to work and works again. I guess that's not an inconsistency, but isn't it highly unlikely? I mean that would have been a 10+ hour shift to begin with and then add in the other hours that she worked after class. There are other instances like this where it seems the author either forgot previous mentioned information or made it to her convenience to fit the story. The tiny ones have to do with time, placement of objects, name changes (two characters are mentioned with different names, only once each though). Frankly, there are lot and it extremely took away from the story, this was way more bothersome to me than the grammatical errors.
3. Some things are glossed over so if they may be apparent to the writer, they aren't going to be apparent to the reader. A popular example, Andrea begins waiting tables, she has two guys at one table who she refers to as 'ken dolls' (yes because they are rich and attractive, that's another issue that I won't get into. Massive stereotyping.) then she miraculously knows one of them is named Drake. Some reviewers have mentioned this and Grimm-Weever has been kind enough to explain that Andrea has class with him and it was kind of a light-bulb moment when she remembers his name. It doesn't read like that at all and those little moments are scattered throughout the book. I understand this problem, it's one I have issues with myself. It's hard to convey certain thoughts into words, but it should have been apparent with a re-read or the beta reader.
Believe does not read as a final draft, but as a first draft prior to revisions or editing. There is massive potential, but Believe really needs to be cleaned up and looked at again. The plot gets a lot better as you continue to read. I'm under the impression that E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever is in the process of going through each chapter to rectify the spelling mistakes, but those aren't the only issues that need to be fixed, so I hope she's taking time to go through the whole book. To me the inconsistencies are far worse than the grammatical errors, but I really enjoyed the plot, especially the second half of the story.
I've had Believe sitting in my TBR pile for awhile and when I had the opportunity to snatch it up on Shut Up & Read, I did. I was eager to start because what can I say? I'm a sucker for vampires vs. vampire hunters. The ultimate forbidden romance, but I have to admit that I had an extremely hard time getting into the story.
The first half of the story I was just not feeling it at all, so I had to set it aside for awhile and consider if I was going to continue reading or not. I did continue reading, and I can say that the story and the writing did get marginally better, but I still wasn't completely satisfied.
Believe has a great concept behind it, it's interesting and very complex. . . there's a lot going on with many characters, but that great concept is hidden behind the many, many mistakes.
1. Grammatical errors. There are a lot of misspelled words, missing words, misplaced words, and some formatting issues and other editing errors along those lines. My eyes were constantly stumbling across them and it prevented me from being drawn into the story. One example, Chapter 20 has the first 3 paragraphs in bold text then every other paragraph after that.
2. Inconsistencies. Major downfall for a published work. I can understand one or two that were missed during revisions and editing, but Believe was riddled with them. It was quite frustrating, especially because I'm a details person, so those details stand-out to me and these were blinding me in the eyes. There's tiny inconsistencies and big ones. For example, I'm pretty sure that Shane's eyes are blue, but they were also mentioned as copper and honey then it was mentioned (18% through) that since he's a vampire his eyes change colors. But then, after that information his eyes are only mentioned as blue. Another example, Andrea wakes up at 6:20am for her first day of work, class starts at 7pm that night. She works all day then leaves work to make it to her class, then after class goes back to work and works again. I guess that's not an inconsistency, but isn't it highly unlikely? I mean that would have been a 10+ hour shift to begin with and then add in the other hours that she worked after class. There are other instances like this where it seems the author either forgot previous mentioned information or made it to her convenience to fit the story. The tiny ones have to do with time, placement of objects, name changes (two characters are mentioned with different names, only once each though). Frankly, there are lot and it extremely took away from the story, this was way more bothersome to me than the grammatical errors.
3. Some things are glossed over so if they may be apparent to the writer, they aren't going to be apparent to the reader. A popular example, Andrea begins waiting tables, she has two guys at one table who she refers to as 'ken dolls' (yes because they are rich and attractive, that's another issue that I won't get into. Massive stereotyping.) then she miraculously knows one of them is named Drake. Some reviewers have mentioned this and Grimm-Weever has been kind enough to explain that Andrea has class with him and it was kind of a light-bulb moment when she remembers his name. It doesn't read like that at all and those little moments are scattered throughout the book. I understand this problem, it's one I have issues with myself. It's hard to convey certain thoughts into words, but it should have been apparent with a re-read or the beta reader.
Believe does not read as a final draft, but as a first draft prior to revisions or editing. There is massive potential, but Believe really needs to be cleaned up and looked at again. The plot gets a lot better as you continue to read. I'm under the impression that E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever is in the process of going through each chapter to rectify the spelling mistakes, but those aren't the only issues that need to be fixed, so I hope she's taking time to go through the whole book. To me the inconsistencies are far worse than the grammatical errors, but I really enjoyed the plot, especially the second half of the story.
May 20, 2012
Ok This one was hard for me to rate. As far as stories go this is one of the best stories I have read lately from first time writers, however there were times when i felt twilghtish. But even if you do not like twilght I do recomend this story.
The writing on the other hand was awful, It's like she wrote a book and never read what she wrote, I am not a writer but have been writing a book and will use beta readers to help correct the mistakes in my book. Just a suggestion but maybe next book she could try that. There were things like; the word oven instead of even, wee instead of see, hoe instead of home. There were a few others but not that big of deal. Oh and Andrea is waiting tables and a guy hits on her she doesnt no the guy he grabs her arm and she says Drake let go. How did she no he was Drake?
I cannot wait to read the next book, hopefully there will be some editing in the next one if not I dont no if i will read anymore. I understand this is her first book but for god sake read it before publishing it.
As far as story I LOVED IT!!!
It did bug me a bit how she treated here Uncle Greg even if he was being a hard headed know it all, he raised her like his own you just dont boss your parent around and use mental powers on him.
Andrea Moves to Hanover New Hampshire from Hot Springs Arkansas, People are watching her. (I feel like if it were me i would be more concerned than she was but maybe thats just me.) She starts working as a waitress where some guy Drake grabs her and Shane makes him leave here alone. That begins there relationship. I like the relationship that Shane and Andrea have its sweet and you can tell he loves her, I love that it has complications like he's a vampire and she is a vampire killer.
It is a good book and I do recommend the story.
The writing on the other hand was awful, It's like she wrote a book and never read what she wrote, I am not a writer but have been writing a book and will use beta readers to help correct the mistakes in my book. Just a suggestion but maybe next book she could try that. There were things like; the word oven instead of even, wee instead of see, hoe instead of home. There were a few others but not that big of deal. Oh and Andrea is waiting tables and a guy hits on her she doesnt no the guy he grabs her arm and she says Drake let go. How did she no he was Drake?
I cannot wait to read the next book, hopefully there will be some editing in the next one if not I dont no if i will read anymore. I understand this is her first book but for god sake read it before publishing it.
As far as story I LOVED IT!!!
It did bug me a bit how she treated here Uncle Greg even if he was being a hard headed know it all, he raised her like his own you just dont boss your parent around and use mental powers on him.
Andrea Moves to Hanover New Hampshire from Hot Springs Arkansas, People are watching her. (I feel like if it were me i would be more concerned than she was but maybe thats just me.) She starts working as a waitress where some guy Drake grabs her and Shane makes him leave here alone. That begins there relationship. I like the relationship that Shane and Andrea have its sweet and you can tell he loves her, I love that it has complications like he's a vampire and she is a vampire killer.
It is a good book and I do recommend the story.
Read
July 4, 2012I hate to say it, I really really do...but...I could not finish this book. In all my readings I have only ever not finished two books. I will always make every effort to finish a book once started. Especially if it was given to me for review, as this one was. It's horrible that I don't finish a review copy, right? I know it is and I am berating myself as I type.
Because I did not complete this book, I won't give it a rating ~ that would not be fair. I will just let you know why I did not finish reading it.
I have the utmost respect for self published authors. I am a big supporter of them. In fact, one of my favorite authors got her start as self published and I read them all before she was signed with a publishing house. I state this so you know that I don't give up on a book just because of poor editing.
Believe could greatly benefit from a thorough editing. There were many spelling and grammatical errors. Which, again, I am able to look past. Mostly. There were a bit too many to look past here, unfortunately. Also, the run-on sentences happened often and I caught myself going over them two or three times just to be sure of the intent.
The writing style and I did not mesh, it felt rushed and frenetic.
Andrea, the protagonist, was an upbeat and cheerful sort. If not for her expression of every trivial movement and thought - I probably would have liked her. But I don't need to know all the details, just the ones that work for the story being told.
The idea of the story is a good one. Vampires are a huge favorite of mine. I really wanted to love this book. It just needs work and polishing.
My sincerest apologies to Grimm-Weaver, I appreciate the opportunity to review her work. This one just was not for me.
Because I did not complete this book, I won't give it a rating ~ that would not be fair. I will just let you know why I did not finish reading it.
I have the utmost respect for self published authors. I am a big supporter of them. In fact, one of my favorite authors got her start as self published and I read them all before she was signed with a publishing house. I state this so you know that I don't give up on a book just because of poor editing.
Believe could greatly benefit from a thorough editing. There were many spelling and grammatical errors. Which, again, I am able to look past. Mostly. There were a bit too many to look past here, unfortunately. Also, the run-on sentences happened often and I caught myself going over them two or three times just to be sure of the intent.
The writing style and I did not mesh, it felt rushed and frenetic.
Andrea, the protagonist, was an upbeat and cheerful sort. If not for her expression of every trivial movement and thought - I probably would have liked her. But I don't need to know all the details, just the ones that work for the story being told.
The idea of the story is a good one. Vampires are a huge favorite of mine. I really wanted to love this book. It just needs work and polishing.
My sincerest apologies to Grimm-Weaver, I appreciate the opportunity to review her work. This one just was not for me.
May 29, 2012
Believe is a very good story that left me wanting the second book now! The story is about an older teen female (Andrea Dauyla), who is starting collage and finds “love at first sight” on her first day in the new city. She later finds out that his name is Shane and that he is a vampire. Because of their different background, they are never meant to be together proving that you can not pick with who you fall in love with. Her mother abandons her leaving her with her uncle (Greg) whom she adores to be raised. She grows up with her male cousin who her total opposite. When she starts collage she moves out with the help of her uncle and cousin, and into a house that would be close to campus. Un-beknownst to her this particular house has some family history. I loved the story, plot, characters and the fact that the characters are a little older than the typical high school and which did not include the typical high school drama. I also loved the fact that the female is the leader and the male are the subordinates. Yes, there are several spelling errors and at times it was annoying, however I was able to overlook them because one could easily remedy the problem and continue with the story without to much of a hang up. One more time through the editing process should do the trick. Thank you to Ms. E. Leighanne for allowing me to read your story, I loved it! I look forward to reading the next one.
May 22, 2012
Spoiler Alert:
Believe is a story about a girl who unbeknownst to her is a Dark Angel or a "Crusnik" and not only that but she is the princess of the Crusniks and finds herself in love with her enemy, a vampire.
I received this book through Read and Reap and I have to say that the description sounded very interesting and as much as I tried to really like it, I felt that this book was a runaway roller coaster ride through Twilight, X-Men, Sacagawea with a little bit of Greek Mythology and some Celtic Fae just to add to the mix. I have to give the author credit for taking a chance and coming up with an interesting concept of immortal vampire hunters that actually drink vampire blood. I just wish she would have stuck with that concept and that concept alone.
The characters are somewhat forced and seem to be very egocentric. The writing is choppy and reads very much like a 13 year old's diary; there are many grammar, spelling, and formatting mistakes in the book. I understand that it may not be a final copy so I hope that the editing will be addressed, I give it 1.5 stars.
Believe is a story about a girl who unbeknownst to her is a Dark Angel or a "Crusnik" and not only that but she is the princess of the Crusniks and finds herself in love with her enemy, a vampire.
I received this book through Read and Reap and I have to say that the description sounded very interesting and as much as I tried to really like it, I felt that this book was a runaway roller coaster ride through Twilight, X-Men, Sacagawea with a little bit of Greek Mythology and some Celtic Fae just to add to the mix. I have to give the author credit for taking a chance and coming up with an interesting concept of immortal vampire hunters that actually drink vampire blood. I just wish she would have stuck with that concept and that concept alone.
The characters are somewhat forced and seem to be very egocentric. The writing is choppy and reads very much like a 13 year old's diary; there are many grammar, spelling, and formatting mistakes in the book. I understand that it may not be a final copy so I hope that the editing will be addressed, I give it 1.5 stars.
July 7, 2012
After I read the synopsis of "Believe", I had to sign up to read and review it. Before I start on my review of the book, I will explain my rating. I would have given this book 5 stars had it not been for all of the spelling errors and grammatival errors throughout the book.
Now, I absolutely fell in love with this book. Andrea Dayla leaves her small town life behind to go to an Ivy League school. That 's when things begin to get weird. There was so much information packed into the first book in the series that I have to wonder where it can go from here. However, after the ending, I can see where it could possibly be headed. With a little bit of every supernatural being mixed in, it leaves the reader wanting to know if there is anything left to be "thrown in the mix."
"Believe" is packed full of romance, action, suspense and even humor. I think that it's a must read for paranormal fans. Grimm-Weever is an interesting author with a passion for writing that I really enjoyed.
Now, I absolutely fell in love with this book. Andrea Dayla leaves her small town life behind to go to an Ivy League school. That 's when things begin to get weird. There was so much information packed into the first book in the series that I have to wonder where it can go from here. However, after the ending, I can see where it could possibly be headed. With a little bit of every supernatural being mixed in, it leaves the reader wanting to know if there is anything left to be "thrown in the mix."
"Believe" is packed full of romance, action, suspense and even humor. I think that it's a must read for paranormal fans. Grimm-Weever is an interesting author with a passion for writing that I really enjoyed.
August 19, 2012
I'll start by saying that I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The story takes a fresh spin on the vampire genre and weaves a tale of new adventure which shows great promise. Unfortunately, the author's lack of proofing and editing this book before publishing it is very dissapointing. To say the pages contain spelling and grammar errors is an understatement. Usually I can overlook a few errors; after all, sometimes catching errors takes a fresh set of eyes to find them. However, I do not believe the author reviewed this work before hitting the publish button. I'm not going to write off the series though. I would like to see where this story goes. I can only hope the author will take to heart the many comments that seem to be made regarding spelling and grammar before releasing subsequent books. I highly recommed finding a few beta readers who are willing and able to catch the mistakes the author is unable to find.
March 30, 2012
I received this book in exchange for a review.
The good:
Characterization is Mrs. Weever's strong suit. Main characters seemed real instead of flat. Andrea is a chipper, easily excited girl. Shane is old world manners adapting to modernism. I can tell Mrs. Weever likes to write and has a fertile imagination, which is good.
--
The bad:
I came across many errors in punctuation, including an over usage of exclamation points. These errors kept me from being submerged into the plot. The plot seems rushed. I'd have liked to see more depth to Shane and Andrea's relationship. There are so many side characters that I wasn't really able to connect to the main characters.
Over all not a bad read. Just needs some polishing up and a little more depth to the plot.
The good:
Characterization is Mrs. Weever's strong suit. Main characters seemed real instead of flat. Andrea is a chipper, easily excited girl. Shane is old world manners adapting to modernism. I can tell Mrs. Weever likes to write and has a fertile imagination, which is good.
--
The bad:
I came across many errors in punctuation, including an over usage of exclamation points. These errors kept me from being submerged into the plot. The plot seems rushed. I'd have liked to see more depth to Shane and Andrea's relationship. There are so many side characters that I wasn't really able to connect to the main characters.
Over all not a bad read. Just needs some polishing up and a little more depth to the plot.
May 31, 2012
I decided to read this book after one of my friends gave it a nice review. This is E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever's first published ebook that was given to people for free for an honest review.
Initially, I could not get into Believe because of the poor grammar and spelling errors. Also, it does feel like a twist on the popular Twilight series, whether that was the author's intentions or not. That aside, the story was rather interesting. I had a feeling it was going to end the way it did. I hope the next book will be a great improvement on the grammar and spelling because I'd love to see how the story progresses.
I'm giving it a three star because of the writing. If the writing wasn't an issue for me, I'd give it four stars.
Thanks for letting me read it!
Initially, I could not get into Believe because of the poor grammar and spelling errors. Also, it does feel like a twist on the popular Twilight series, whether that was the author's intentions or not. That aside, the story was rather interesting. I had a feeling it was going to end the way it did. I hope the next book will be a great improvement on the grammar and spelling because I'd love to see how the story progresses.
I'm giving it a three star because of the writing. If the writing wasn't an issue for me, I'd give it four stars.
Thanks for letting me read it!
May 22, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read the next installment. Andrea learns her family secret just before her twentieth birthday. The book does not answer all my questions. I'm hoping the next book will give more of the background of the story.
If you are a stickler for punctuation, grammar, and correct spelling; this might not be the book for you. It really needs to be edited. I was always able to come up with the correct word but it did get annoying that the editing was so poor. The fonts also changed throughout the book.
If you are a stickler for punctuation, grammar, and correct spelling; this might not be the book for you. It really needs to be edited. I was always able to come up with the correct word but it did get annoying that the editing was so poor. The fonts also changed throughout the book.
May 25, 2012
~originally posted in hotcoffeebooksandchocobar.blogspot.com
Hooray! My very first try at ARR Program - a chance to receive a copy of a new book in exchange of an honest review. I'm really excited and thankful for the opportunity! Also, a huge thank you for the author E. for providing me with a copy!
*3 stars* (Grading the book was really difficult. The quality of the books VS how much I enjoyed it = 2/4. So I decided to compromise.)
Before I even start I have to get one stone off my chest. I don't like the cover. I'm sorry, but I don't. There are so many ways of editing a picture and this is not one of them. What's with the wings? Without them and the not-so-well-done editing it already would've been a lot better. A serious error also lies with the title. It's almost unnoticeable and unreadable. I imagine the most important part of the cover should also be one of the first things to notice. But enough of this. On with the review.
The first thing I noticed while reading was the writing style. I'd advise to at least have the book read couple of times before publishing. The faulty grammar, messy sentences and frequent spelling mistakes made it really hard to follow.
Waiting for the book to get better, is kind of dangerous. It always needs extra effort, trying to read something you're not instantly attracted to. In this case, the patience paid off. The first 2 chapters scared me pretty bad. As often with new authors, the start was rather rocky. Overuse of metaphors and adjectives made the sentences stiff and unnatural. Sentences, like I chuckled to myself, because I like to laugh, so I chuckled at the thought of laughing. It's a big NoNo. One Doesn't chuckle at themselves! I feel the book would do so much better, if it had gone through editing.
Andreas stuttering throughout half of the book over Uncle Gregs horror stories and paranoia quickly grew tiring and distracting. Half-finished sentences and repeating words is not a way to let the readers know when the character is constantly thinking of something.
The beginning is pretty cliche, the mysterious stranger who has been haunting your dreams for awhile, suddenly pops up, showing uncomfortably strong interest in your character and saves the day. However, I loved Andreas reaction to it all. "Why in the world did he do that? I’m not completely helpless," gotcha. Finally a girl, who doesn't find stalking strangers attractive.
The relationship between Shane and Andrea however starts off really well. I like their interaction. It's fun hearing her thoughts and then seeing her actions. So different, but put together they work just like a girl. But the whole dating thing after just meeting twice is a bit of a stretch for me. I believe in an instant attraction, but jumping straight into a relationship? Hmm.
Once I get to know Andrea, I really started to like her character. It's so rare for me to like the heroine. It's usually the best friend or some third character, that wins my affection. Drea however, is exactly the kind of girl I like. A girly girl, without being overly so. The only thing bugging me in times, was the sincerity of her feelings. How can you be okay with the idea of your dead Mother actually being alive or having to break up with the love of your life? I don't think you can just shrug and move on. But I'm really grateful we were saved from the 5 chapter long angst ride. So I'm really not complaining.
Already around chapter 4 the action piqued up a notch withe the appearance of Shane. In around chapter 10 we witness Andrea first finding about her mysterious family legacy. I didn't quite buy her reaction to all that information. She accepted everything too lightly, with almost no proof whatsoever. Uncle Greg started to get on my nerves as well. I pretty much got the idea, that he's obsessed with vampires and other superstitions alike, no need to stress it hundred and one times. In two thirds into the book is where the real action starts. The plot is thick, yet still logical and easy to follow. The ending left me satisfied and happy I had decided to keep on reading.
However, I just can't look past at the editorial faults in this book! I am a flexible person, I was able to look past the changing fonts and continuously misspelled words. But I know lots of people, who just can NOT do it. If you are one of them, I'm sure your eye is twitching already, so I'd strongly advise you to skip it.
I hope to hear more of Ms Grimm-Weever. The world she built was interesting, with twists and lots of supernatural action. The only advice from me would be to invest into a good editor, so more of the readers could enjoy the adventures of Andrea Dayla.
Hooray! My very first try at ARR Program - a chance to receive a copy of a new book in exchange of an honest review. I'm really excited and thankful for the opportunity! Also, a huge thank you for the author E. for providing me with a copy!
*3 stars* (Grading the book was really difficult. The quality of the books VS how much I enjoyed it = 2/4. So I decided to compromise.)
Before I even start I have to get one stone off my chest. I don't like the cover. I'm sorry, but I don't. There are so many ways of editing a picture and this is not one of them. What's with the wings? Without them and the not-so-well-done editing it already would've been a lot better. A serious error also lies with the title. It's almost unnoticeable and unreadable. I imagine the most important part of the cover should also be one of the first things to notice. But enough of this. On with the review.
The first thing I noticed while reading was the writing style. I'd advise to at least have the book read couple of times before publishing. The faulty grammar, messy sentences and frequent spelling mistakes made it really hard to follow.
Waiting for the book to get better, is kind of dangerous. It always needs extra effort, trying to read something you're not instantly attracted to. In this case, the patience paid off. The first 2 chapters scared me pretty bad. As often with new authors, the start was rather rocky. Overuse of metaphors and adjectives made the sentences stiff and unnatural. Sentences, like I chuckled to myself, because I like to laugh, so I chuckled at the thought of laughing. It's a big NoNo. One Doesn't chuckle at themselves! I feel the book would do so much better, if it had gone through editing.
Andreas stuttering throughout half of the book over Uncle Gregs horror stories and paranoia quickly grew tiring and distracting. Half-finished sentences and repeating words is not a way to let the readers know when the character is constantly thinking of something.
The beginning is pretty cliche, the mysterious stranger who has been haunting your dreams for awhile, suddenly pops up, showing uncomfortably strong interest in your character and saves the day. However, I loved Andreas reaction to it all. "Why in the world did he do that? I’m not completely helpless," gotcha. Finally a girl, who doesn't find stalking strangers attractive.
The relationship between Shane and Andrea however starts off really well. I like their interaction. It's fun hearing her thoughts and then seeing her actions. So different, but put together they work just like a girl. But the whole dating thing after just meeting twice is a bit of a stretch for me. I believe in an instant attraction, but jumping straight into a relationship? Hmm.
Once I get to know Andrea, I really started to like her character. It's so rare for me to like the heroine. It's usually the best friend or some third character, that wins my affection. Drea however, is exactly the kind of girl I like. A girly girl, without being overly so. The only thing bugging me in times, was the sincerity of her feelings. How can you be okay with the idea of your dead Mother actually being alive or having to break up with the love of your life? I don't think you can just shrug and move on. But I'm really grateful we were saved from the 5 chapter long angst ride. So I'm really not complaining.
Already around chapter 4 the action piqued up a notch withe the appearance of Shane. In around chapter 10 we witness Andrea first finding about her mysterious family legacy. I didn't quite buy her reaction to all that information. She accepted everything too lightly, with almost no proof whatsoever. Uncle Greg started to get on my nerves as well. I pretty much got the idea, that he's obsessed with vampires and other superstitions alike, no need to stress it hundred and one times. In two thirds into the book is where the real action starts. The plot is thick, yet still logical and easy to follow. The ending left me satisfied and happy I had decided to keep on reading.
However, I just can't look past at the editorial faults in this book! I am a flexible person, I was able to look past the changing fonts and continuously misspelled words. But I know lots of people, who just can NOT do it. If you are one of them, I'm sure your eye is twitching already, so I'd strongly advise you to skip it.
I hope to hear more of Ms Grimm-Weever. The world she built was interesting, with twists and lots of supernatural action. The only advice from me would be to invest into a good editor, so more of the readers could enjoy the adventures of Andrea Dayla.
June 29, 2012
I received a free copy of this book for a review after signing up for ARR (author requesting review) in the group We Love YA Books on Goodreads.
I'm not an editor nor a writer but after reading this book, I realized it has so much potential if some changes are made. The spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the entire book were difficult to overlook, as well as the issues with the font changes towards the end. I noticed a few inconsistencies with some of the things the main character, Andrea, said. The "DING DONG" and "RING RING" phrases should be taken out and replaced with, for example, the following, "Upon hearing the urgent knocks at my door, I opened it to find Sara standing there."
It was difficult for me as a reader to picture what the characters look like and where the action was taking place due to the descriptions. The description of the house Andrea moves into is weak--I'm not really sure what the house looks like, I just know it has a lot of doors. Each character's eye color, hair color, and skin tones were given, but nothing that really made them stand out from each other. I was also hoping for stronger character development personality wise, and the dialogue between characters didn't come across as natural. Some of the characters would become angry with each other, and then all of a sudden become apologetic. Sometimes they'd become angry over things that shouldn't make them angry but not get angry over things that they should be angry about, depending on the character. I'm excluding Andrea from this because her temper flaring quickly was part of her transformation into a Crusnik. If I was Andrea, though, I would be a lot more upset than she was after finding out important information about her mother and father.
There were a lot of similarities between this story and Twilight. It's mostly between characters and not really the plot itself. Shane and Andrea's relationship seems a lot like Edward and Bella's relationship. The werewolf Jay has feelings for Andrea much like the werewolf Jacob has feelings for Bella. There are mentions made of finding a soul mate in this story that strongly reminded me of the concept of "imprinting" in Twilight. Lastly, the fact that humans in this story can have vampire babies is also present in Twilight. I think Believe is a good story that can stand alone, and if the similarities to Twilight were taken out, the story would not suffer at all and would become even better.
Believe has a lot going for it--I wanted to know what would happen next to these characters. When I had to put the book down to do something else, I looked forward to getting back to the story, which is creative and original in my opinion as well as entertaining. The concept of the Crusnik is really interesting, much more so than if Andrea had been written as just an ordinary girl. I like the powers that she has, and I want to find out more about her family history in the next book. If the suggested changes from above were put into place, then I believe this book would gain a ton of four and five star ratings.
I'm not an editor nor a writer but after reading this book, I realized it has so much potential if some changes are made. The spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the entire book were difficult to overlook, as well as the issues with the font changes towards the end. I noticed a few inconsistencies with some of the things the main character, Andrea, said. The "DING DONG" and "RING RING" phrases should be taken out and replaced with, for example, the following, "Upon hearing the urgent knocks at my door, I opened it to find Sara standing there."
It was difficult for me as a reader to picture what the characters look like and where the action was taking place due to the descriptions. The description of the house Andrea moves into is weak--I'm not really sure what the house looks like, I just know it has a lot of doors. Each character's eye color, hair color, and skin tones were given, but nothing that really made them stand out from each other. I was also hoping for stronger character development personality wise, and the dialogue between characters didn't come across as natural. Some of the characters would become angry with each other, and then all of a sudden become apologetic. Sometimes they'd become angry over things that shouldn't make them angry but not get angry over things that they should be angry about, depending on the character. I'm excluding Andrea from this because her temper flaring quickly was part of her transformation into a Crusnik. If I was Andrea, though, I would be a lot more upset than she was after finding out important information about her mother and father.
There were a lot of similarities between this story and Twilight. It's mostly between characters and not really the plot itself. Shane and Andrea's relationship seems a lot like Edward and Bella's relationship. The werewolf Jay has feelings for Andrea much like the werewolf Jacob has feelings for Bella. There are mentions made of finding a soul mate in this story that strongly reminded me of the concept of "imprinting" in Twilight. Lastly, the fact that humans in this story can have vampire babies is also present in Twilight. I think Believe is a good story that can stand alone, and if the similarities to Twilight were taken out, the story would not suffer at all and would become even better.
Believe has a lot going for it--I wanted to know what would happen next to these characters. When I had to put the book down to do something else, I looked forward to getting back to the story, which is creative and original in my opinion as well as entertaining. The concept of the Crusnik is really interesting, much more so than if Andrea had been written as just an ordinary girl. I like the powers that she has, and I want to find out more about her family history in the next book. If the suggested changes from above were put into place, then I believe this book would gain a ton of four and five star ratings.
June 9, 2012
Title: Reflection
Author: E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Vampires don’t really exist right? That’s what Andrea Dayla always believed despite her Uncle’s stories and constantly painting Vampires and things in such a bad, evil light. Heading off to college, leaving the only life she’s ever known Andrea meets Shane Brennen and his family, and falls in love. However, it turns out Andera is only one in a long line of vampire hunters and her new boyfriend is a Vampire. As if relationships aren’t already complicated enough lets throw that in the mix! Andrea just needs to believe.
Review: I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, aside from a few spelling errors, I absolutely LOVE this story. Vampires are one of my favorite creatures to read about, and how the mythos have been changed through different series is something I either love or hate, this one I love. I was sucked in at the beginning, and I want a Shane Brennen of my own, because damn, Edward Cullen has nothing on this sexy man.
The different relationships in this story had me hooked, and I’m looking forward to reading more of this story as it unfolds in future books. The relationships flowed effortlessly Andrea and Shane, Jack, the entire Brennen family (who I wish is my family), her Uncle and Roger, her mother, and all of it simply worked perfectly. I love that Andrea was able to get close to everyone and show them how to understand and be at ease with what they were and how each situation was different.
It also helps that I am a sucker for a good love story, so Andrea and Shane were really my biggest driving force in finishing this book – and it’s a paranormal love story, brownie points there! That ending is something I am still hooked on, that’s all I gotta say about that. Definitely a must read.
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Idle Musings and Random Things
Cae's Smashwords
Author: E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Vampires don’t really exist right? That’s what Andrea Dayla always believed despite her Uncle’s stories and constantly painting Vampires and things in such a bad, evil light. Heading off to college, leaving the only life she’s ever known Andrea meets Shane Brennen and his family, and falls in love. However, it turns out Andera is only one in a long line of vampire hunters and her new boyfriend is a Vampire. As if relationships aren’t already complicated enough lets throw that in the mix! Andrea just needs to believe.
Review: I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, aside from a few spelling errors, I absolutely LOVE this story. Vampires are one of my favorite creatures to read about, and how the mythos have been changed through different series is something I either love or hate, this one I love. I was sucked in at the beginning, and I want a Shane Brennen of my own, because damn, Edward Cullen has nothing on this sexy man.
The different relationships in this story had me hooked, and I’m looking forward to reading more of this story as it unfolds in future books. The relationships flowed effortlessly Andrea and Shane, Jack, the entire Brennen family (who I wish is my family), her Uncle and Roger, her mother, and all of it simply worked perfectly. I love that Andrea was able to get close to everyone and show them how to understand and be at ease with what they were and how each situation was different.
It also helps that I am a sucker for a good love story, so Andrea and Shane were really my biggest driving force in finishing this book – and it’s a paranormal love story, brownie points there! That ending is something I am still hooked on, that’s all I gotta say about that. Definitely a must read.
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Idle Musings and Random Things
Cae's Smashwords
May 29, 2012
This is a hard one to rate. I was given this book by the author to read and review, and there is only a very very small amount of bias because of this.
The biased-ness is only on the grammar and spelling. If I had not received this book as a "Please review" and had gotten updates from the author that she was in process of updating due to grammar and spelling, this book would be a 1 star 'RIGHT NAO'!
But I'm reviewing it, and she's working on it, so I will try to NOT judge so harshly on that... but please know that it hurt my reading flow to come across the many many errors in this book.
Okay, spelling/grammar aside, moving on.
There are too many similarities to Twilight in this book. If I were E's bestie, and we were discussing her book, I'd say that this book could stand on it's own, and that there are a lot of these mirroring details that could easily be altered or cut and the book would still be very good... and it wouldn't have the reader screaming "SHUT UP EDWARD!". I would sit down with her and go over a handful of changes to take Twilight out of Believe. But we're not, I can't, and it won't go down that way at all... So in the book, I was accosted with:
the 'parent who's a doctor, young looking parents fostering the vampire family, almost the exact mirror description of everyone in the vamp family, the shop-a-holic sister vamp, 'Edward/Shane' character is going to wait for marriage to have sex even though he's how old?, one vamp sibling can read minds another can see bits of the future etc, the family goes camping/hunts on weekends to feed, only drinks animal blood, don't forget the native american/wolves that kill vamps in the area, MAIN NATIVE AMERICAN WOLF GUY IS NAMED JAY and likes Bell... oops, Andrea...' too many similarities.
The storyline, WITHOUT the twilight similarities, would be fantastic, or at least really good. It was just really hard to get past that.
I'm going to give this a 2 star for right now. If it gets updated and I re-read it, and the qualms that I have with it have been altered, fixed, or made less apparent... I will increase my stars.
The biased-ness is only on the grammar and spelling. If I had not received this book as a "Please review" and had gotten updates from the author that she was in process of updating due to grammar and spelling, this book would be a 1 star 'RIGHT NAO'!
But I'm reviewing it, and she's working on it, so I will try to NOT judge so harshly on that... but please know that it hurt my reading flow to come across the many many errors in this book.
Okay, spelling/grammar aside, moving on.
There are too many similarities to Twilight in this book. If I were E's bestie, and we were discussing her book, I'd say that this book could stand on it's own, and that there are a lot of these mirroring details that could easily be altered or cut and the book would still be very good... and it wouldn't have the reader screaming "SHUT UP EDWARD!". I would sit down with her and go over a handful of changes to take Twilight out of Believe. But we're not, I can't, and it won't go down that way at all... So in the book, I was accosted with:
the 'parent who's a doctor, young looking parents fostering the vampire family, almost the exact mirror description of everyone in the vamp family, the shop-a-holic sister vamp, 'Edward/Shane' character is going to wait for marriage to have sex even though he's how old?, one vamp sibling can read minds another can see bits of the future etc, the family goes camping/hunts on weekends to feed, only drinks animal blood, don't forget the native american/wolves that kill vamps in the area, MAIN NATIVE AMERICAN WOLF GUY IS NAMED JAY and likes Bell... oops, Andrea...' too many similarities.
The storyline, WITHOUT the twilight similarities, would be fantastic, or at least really good. It was just really hard to get past that.
I'm going to give this a 2 star for right now. If it gets updated and I re-read it, and the qualms that I have with it have been altered, fixed, or made less apparent... I will increase my stars.
July 16, 2012
Congratulations to E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever for creating her first novel. As a new Independent Author myself, I have a certain sympathy and understanding of the sacrifices which went into making a novel. Then try to publish a novel on a non-existent bank account. Most publishers have a great budget for editing. It is terribly and excruciatingly hard to edit your own book and format it in a way it will read well in Kindle, Nook or iTunes-Mobi.
I deeply respect any author who puts their first novel which is unedited out there "on the line of fire" for a group to review because many will never understand it usually takes $2 a page to edit. I know this author will eventually hire Beta Readers and/or scrape up the money to edit. Then the book will transform into a wonderful edition.
My thoughts:
I was asked to review "Believe" and being a vampire story lover myself, I was intrigued by the synopsis. I have to say the plot did remind me a lot of Twilight gone “Campus Life” in the beginning. I was thinking this would have been exactly the way Twilight would have been if Bella would have gone to Dartmouth.
The plot did change and head off into different direction(s). It is indeed hard to settle on one plot and then develop the plot fully.
It is equally hard to fully develop characters. Characters which come and go in a book tend to make a reader dizzy. I’m not talking about warping into one time or another like time travel. I’m talking about something different like a maturation of personalities and characteristics.
My last and final thought is I would have loved plot development between Shane and the heroine, Andrea. I was reading the novel to the end believing more dialogue, action, and finally closure between them were soon coming. My rooting for them kept me looking until the end, but alas I was left hitting my forward button on my Kindle looking for more Shane and Drea.
I wish you good luck on your first novel Ms. Grimm-Weever. I believe you have a bright future ahead in the genre of Paranormal Romance.
June 30, 2012
2.5 Stars
My first impression of this book is that it is very reminiscent of Twilight.
Too Twilight in fact.
New girl moves into small town where it rains and snows a lot.
Mysterious rich family that doesn't date anyone outside of the family, doesn't really associate with the rest of the town, seems unfriendly.
They all live together in a great big house.
All gorgeous with pale cold skin.
Have an aversion to food.
Weekend camping trips with the whole family.
One can see the future, one can read minds....
Parents are young and in their thirties (one a doctor)and adopted all the kids....sigh...sounds familiar right?
Should I go on with the comparisons?
I really liked Twilight, I did, but if I wanted to read Twilight, I would have picked it back up, not just read a different slightly altered version of it.
Honestly, I was starting to think that maybe I shouldn't even waste my time of reading any more. I don't need to read another Stephanie Meyer knock off.
But, I didn't give up, I kept on reading and things did get a little better.
The book finally started to take on a life of its own.
So yes, there was some originality to the story thankfully but I couldn't help being a little irritated that there wasn't enough there to truly make it stand on its own and be a great story, which makes me kind of sad.
I really hope the next installment will be better, editing wise and storyline wise. While I understand that the similarities with Twilight are there, I hope from now on the continuation of the story takes it own twist and becomes its own story.
I really wanted to rate this one higher but I just can't in good conscience but I do think the author has a good storyline with the one she created on her own and could take this series to a good original place with enough thought and time and writing skills.
My first impression of this book is that it is very reminiscent of Twilight.
Too Twilight in fact.
New girl moves into small town where it rains and snows a lot.
Mysterious rich family that doesn't date anyone outside of the family, doesn't really associate with the rest of the town, seems unfriendly.
They all live together in a great big house.
All gorgeous with pale cold skin.
Have an aversion to food.
Weekend camping trips with the whole family.
One can see the future, one can read minds....
Parents are young and in their thirties (one a doctor)and adopted all the kids....sigh...sounds familiar right?
Should I go on with the comparisons?
I really liked Twilight, I did, but if I wanted to read Twilight, I would have picked it back up, not just read a different slightly altered version of it.
Honestly, I was starting to think that maybe I shouldn't even waste my time of reading any more. I don't need to read another Stephanie Meyer knock off.
But, I didn't give up, I kept on reading and things did get a little better.
The book finally started to take on a life of its own.
So yes, there was some originality to the story thankfully but I couldn't help being a little irritated that there wasn't enough there to truly make it stand on its own and be a great story, which makes me kind of sad.
I really hope the next installment will be better, editing wise and storyline wise. While I understand that the similarities with Twilight are there, I hope from now on the continuation of the story takes it own twist and becomes its own story.
I really wanted to rate this one higher but I just can't in good conscience but I do think the author has a good storyline with the one she created on her own and could take this series to a good original place with enough thought and time and writing skills.
July 7, 2012
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was extremely similar to Twilight (which I adored). Andrea is going off to college, and little does she realize that her life is about to change forever. Everything she believed to be true is shaken to its core.
It seems like they could have made some more significant changes to this book, especially compared to how similar it was to Twilight in a lot of the characters and setting. I understand the concept was different, but that was a small part compared to the underlying emotions of the characters and characters with the same gifts as some in Twilight. However, so many authors are being compared to Stephanie Meyer and Twilight whenever a vampire/human romance comes along and that’s not really fair to the authors.
It did strike me as a strange character development, or lack thereof, that Andrea has so many paradigms changed so quickly and she adjusts without giving anything a second thought it felt like. For example, her mother suddenly popping into Andrea’s life and on top of that she’s royalty! Yet, nothing really seems to faze her. That could just be my perception, but that made it harder to truly relate to her as a character and be invested.
Someone definitely needs to go through this to edit it further. I know how easy it is to make grammatical mistakes (especially when word doesn’t catch something) but when you read a story you definitely don’t want the grammatical errors to interfere with story. Especially to the point where the reader can’t even concentrate on the story due to grammatical errors.
However, I do think Grimm-Weever has potential, and this series could develop into something very enjoyable.
All thing considered, it was an interesting read, with a twist that many will find unexpected.
It seems like they could have made some more significant changes to this book, especially compared to how similar it was to Twilight in a lot of the characters and setting. I understand the concept was different, but that was a small part compared to the underlying emotions of the characters and characters with the same gifts as some in Twilight. However, so many authors are being compared to Stephanie Meyer and Twilight whenever a vampire/human romance comes along and that’s not really fair to the authors.
It did strike me as a strange character development, or lack thereof, that Andrea has so many paradigms changed so quickly and she adjusts without giving anything a second thought it felt like. For example, her mother suddenly popping into Andrea’s life and on top of that she’s royalty! Yet, nothing really seems to faze her. That could just be my perception, but that made it harder to truly relate to her as a character and be invested.
Someone definitely needs to go through this to edit it further. I know how easy it is to make grammatical mistakes (especially when word doesn’t catch something) but when you read a story you definitely don’t want the grammatical errors to interfere with story. Especially to the point where the reader can’t even concentrate on the story due to grammatical errors.
However, I do think Grimm-Weever has potential, and this series could develop into something very enjoyable.
All thing considered, it was an interesting read, with a twist that many will find unexpected.
June 7, 2012
First of all, this is my first review and I have to say congratulations to E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever for completing her first novel. I've received this book from Authors Requesting Reviews in exchange for an honest opinion. So, here it is:
What I liked:
The plot: It's a YA paranormal book, about vampires. So, that's all you're gonna find. Romance, paranormal, vampires, and vampire hunters (which I thought would be a great touch).
The ending: I liked it.
What I didn't like:
The Characters: Maybe there were too many of them. I didn't get to know them all. Also, the relationship between the main characters need more depth and development.
I didn't understand the love between Andrea and Shane. After reading the first chapters one thing remains for sure: She was so plain. He was mesmerizing. I have to say that all this "I'm not worthy, why he loves me? I'm so plane, he is perfect and hot but why is he with me? why? why? why???" made me feel the "Twilight" influence, which would be okay if she wasn't so annoying.
The Mental Arguments: Tons and tons of it. I get it, the author is writing from Andrea's point of view, but sometimes it was like I was being punished to read every single piece of teenager though and I must say it was very difficult to keep reading. She was so annoying sometimes, overreacting to everything. It was hard for me to connect with her.
The spelling and grammar was surprisingly bad. Even for me (English is not my native language)
I'm giving Believe 2 stars. I admire the work of the author and I hope to read the finished work in the future. I liked the world that Ms Grimm-Weever has built. It was interesting and I'd love to read more of her.
What I liked:
The plot: It's a YA paranormal book, about vampires. So, that's all you're gonna find. Romance, paranormal, vampires, and vampire hunters (which I thought would be a great touch).
The ending: I liked it.
What I didn't like:
The Characters: Maybe there were too many of them. I didn't get to know them all. Also, the relationship between the main characters need more depth and development.
I didn't understand the love between Andrea and Shane. After reading the first chapters one thing remains for sure: She was so plain. He was mesmerizing. I have to say that all this "I'm not worthy, why he loves me? I'm so plane, he is perfect and hot but why is he with me? why? why? why???" made me feel the "Twilight" influence, which would be okay if she wasn't so annoying.
The Mental Arguments: Tons and tons of it. I get it, the author is writing from Andrea's point of view, but sometimes it was like I was being punished to read every single piece of teenager though and I must say it was very difficult to keep reading. She was so annoying sometimes, overreacting to everything. It was hard for me to connect with her.
The spelling and grammar was surprisingly bad. Even for me (English is not my native language)
I'm giving Believe 2 stars. I admire the work of the author and I hope to read the finished work in the future. I liked the world that Ms Grimm-Weever has built. It was interesting and I'd love to read more of her.
June 15, 2012
Disclaimer: The fact that a free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review has not affected my rating.
Before starting my review, I want to say that I mean no disrespect to the author or her fans. If you were a fan of this book, you will not be a fan of my review.
This book definitely wasn't for me. When reading the first chapter, I had to flip back on my Kindle to see if I had missed anything. I understand that Andrea is supposed to be a nice, happy, and bubbly character. But it doesn't help if you randomly jump around, speaking your thoughts aloud about a half-empty closet that you need to go shopping to fill = = She just seems so stupid! (Sorry if I sound rude, but this is my true opinion). As another reviewer said,
I feel that the general idea of the book is unique - vampire hunters & having to choose sides? Great! That's why I requested this book for review in the first place. However, I just felt that the heroine was too annoying, and the plot, attitude, and circumstances, all very, very similar to Twilight.
Overall, this book just wasn't for me. It kind of irks me that some people think that most teenagers or college students act the same way as Andrea - because believe me, we don't.
Before starting my review, I want to say that I mean no disrespect to the author or her fans. If you were a fan of this book, you will not be a fan of my review.
This book definitely wasn't for me. When reading the first chapter, I had to flip back on my Kindle to see if I had missed anything. I understand that Andrea is supposed to be a nice, happy, and bubbly character. But it doesn't help if you randomly jump around, speaking your thoughts aloud about a half-empty closet that you need to go shopping to fill = = She just seems so stupid! (Sorry if I sound rude, but this is my true opinion). As another reviewer said,
Who talks like that? Besides a bimbo blonde teenager that you only see as stereotypes in comedy movies?The writing overall was choppy and unedited. I know that I usually shouldn't judge about this (especially since I'm still in high school - maybe it's because I just got back from an SAT writing class...) but there were so many grammar / spelling errors. Maybe there was no editor? Nevertheless, with an editor, the book could have been so much better (and more original! - I'll get to that next.)
I feel that the general idea of the book is unique - vampire hunters & having to choose sides? Great! That's why I requested this book for review in the first place. However, I just felt that the heroine was too annoying, and the plot, attitude, and circumstances, all very, very similar to Twilight.
Overall, this book just wasn't for me. It kind of irks me that some people think that most teenagers or college students act the same way as Andrea - because believe me, we don't.
May 22, 2012
I read this book after getting a free copy through read it and reap in exchange for an honest review. So, for better or worse, here is my honest opinion.
The good:
- The idea behind this story is a good one. It is very much a cross between Twilight and Bufffy the Vampire slayer
( heavy on the Twilight). The h is a young woman away at college who finds out that her life is not what she has always believed and she is not who she thought she was. I like this kind of story.
- Character development was not bad for the main characters and there were many great descriptions that helped bring the story to life.
- The author made the world of the paranormal her own by creating new characteristics for old creatures.
- The author hit her stride in the second half of the book and the story flowed easier after that.
- Great ending.
The bad:
- The spelling and grammar was terrible. I understand that new writers, especially indie ones, do not have the luxury of an editor but this was very bad. Spell check could have caught many of the errors. It was hard to read the first half of the book because the errors often made it difficult to know what the writer was trying to say.
- The first half of the book was choppy and hard to follow.
- Too many supporting characters with no reason for many of them to be in the story. They just end up as clutter.
- The Twilight inspiration may be a little too much.
Overall, though I can appreciate the work that went into writing a book, the negative outshone the good and I had to give the book 2 stars.
The good:
- The idea behind this story is a good one. It is very much a cross between Twilight and Bufffy the Vampire slayer
( heavy on the Twilight). The h is a young woman away at college who finds out that her life is not what she has always believed and she is not who she thought she was. I like this kind of story.
- Character development was not bad for the main characters and there were many great descriptions that helped bring the story to life.
- The author made the world of the paranormal her own by creating new characteristics for old creatures.
- The author hit her stride in the second half of the book and the story flowed easier after that.
- Great ending.
The bad:
- The spelling and grammar was terrible. I understand that new writers, especially indie ones, do not have the luxury of an editor but this was very bad. Spell check could have caught many of the errors. It was hard to read the first half of the book because the errors often made it difficult to know what the writer was trying to say.
- The first half of the book was choppy and hard to follow.
- Too many supporting characters with no reason for many of them to be in the story. They just end up as clutter.
- The Twilight inspiration may be a little too much.
Overall, though I can appreciate the work that went into writing a book, the negative outshone the good and I had to give the book 2 stars.
May 18, 2012
Andrea Dayla was raised by her Uncle Greg after her parents were murdered in a mugging gone terribly wrong or so she was told. She thought that she was a mostly ordinary girl heading off to college, she was also terribly wrong about that. Strange things are happening all around her. She always listen to the “myths” her Uncle Greg told her about vampires and Crusnik but never believed them to be true…but things are about to change and myths are becoming reality. To top it off she’s smack dab in the center of it all and the person she loves might just be her biggest enemy.
Believe, the first in New England Immortals series, has an excellent new premise, great characters, and a witty repertoire. Believe was an enjoyable read. For the most part, E. Leighanne Grimm-Weaver was extremely descriptive of the surroundings/settings and made you feel like you were actually there. Here comes the but… But, it lacked something with the development of the relationship between Shane Brennen and Andrea Dayla, the two main characters. I didn’t see enough of the connection building between them to feel emotionally invested in their predicament. The New England Immortals Series has huge potential and I look forward to seeing where it heads next. 3 1/2 stars
This copy of Believe was given to me by Making Connections YA Edition Group on Goodreads and E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever in exchange for an honest review.
Believe, the first in New England Immortals series, has an excellent new premise, great characters, and a witty repertoire. Believe was an enjoyable read. For the most part, E. Leighanne Grimm-Weaver was extremely descriptive of the surroundings/settings and made you feel like you were actually there. Here comes the but… But, it lacked something with the development of the relationship between Shane Brennen and Andrea Dayla, the two main characters. I didn’t see enough of the connection building between them to feel emotionally invested in their predicament. The New England Immortals Series has huge potential and I look forward to seeing where it heads next. 3 1/2 stars
This copy of Believe was given to me by Making Connections YA Edition Group on Goodreads and E. Leighanne Grimm-Weever in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2012
It is hard to write a review when you are of two minds on a subject. On one hand the story idea and the world for this story was good. Once I got past the first third and into the meat of the story I read the rest straight through. The MC, Andrea, is supposed to be in her first year of college at Dartmouth. So she's supposed to be pretty smart but her conversation in and out of her head is like listening to a peppy 15 year old. I didn't care for how she talked about the Uncle, who one moment she adores, but the next she's ashamed of. Her treatment of him when he came to visit bugged me. He was obstinate but she did ambush him with "good vampires". I'd be a tad pissed too. Her relationship with Shane was sugar sweat but didn't stoke any flames for me. I liked Jack more, even if I thought he was a perv. Don't get me wrong, thumbs up for Andrea and Shane. Jack was just right up my alley with angry, possessive, and legal. (Jack, honey, I'm closer to your age...come on over.) I liked the issue of what the rogue vampire was up to. I also enjoyed the wide cast of characters. They helped to make this world bigger and more detailed with their combined histories.
That being said, this needs a serious read though. There are some very obvious errors when it came to misspelling, grammar, and missing/wrong words. This would benefit from editing as well. Andrea kept talking in circles and rehashing a point over and over.
That being said, this needs a serious read though. There are some very obvious errors when it came to misspelling, grammar, and missing/wrong words. This would benefit from editing as well. Andrea kept talking in circles and rehashing a point over and over.
May 22, 2012
I received this as a free ebook for Read and Reap. The first few chapters were a little "painful" to read. Andrea, the main character was too happy, like a happy 9 yr. old kid who falls inlove with a supernatural hot guy. It was a fairly easy read, the plot in its totality is pretty unique but my beef with this is that the plot feels like a mixtape. Twilight, myths and other familiar stories came to mind while I was reading so some parts were predictable. Andrea in this story translated to an upgraded Bella Swan. Normal girl turned vampire's girlfriend turned clueless crusnik princess who attracts different types of immortals to an unbeatable royalty with a ridiculously diverse family and new allies. There were way too many connections that bothered me but I guess it added the element of surprise in the story. The major rant I have with this book are all on the technical side, the grammar, the irregular font, the spelling, those things drove me crazy especially when I was already into the story. Since I believe that there will be a second book to this, I can ignore the "it-feels-lacking" vibe at the end of the chapter. Good job for the author though because she still made her work a little distinct compared to other authors. 2 stars.
Better plot than twilight but needs to be modified.
April 23, 2012
Rating this book was very difficult for me.
I feel honored because the author gave it to me in exchange of an honest review. Publishing a book is a lot of work, revision of the final product being one of the most important parts of the process.
The story is good and entertaining, fast paced and full of action.It revolves around Andrea, the lead female character and her discovery of her true identity and destiny. There are all types of mythical creatures in the story.
The characters are likable, Andrea is very strong and focused.Shane the love interest seem to be your typical sweet guy full of devotion. I needed more of him.
What affected my rating is not the story itself, the problem was that I found many spelling errors, there are problems delivering the intended message in some of the paragraphs, among others things that need serious revision.
Shane and Andrea's relationship need more depth and development.
The author has a vivid imagination and a love for details. I needed the same lengthy descriptions but of the events and relationships between the characters.
There are some great parts in the story, so I'm sure that with a detailed revision the final product can be successful.
I feel honored because the author gave it to me in exchange of an honest review. Publishing a book is a lot of work, revision of the final product being one of the most important parts of the process.
The story is good and entertaining, fast paced and full of action.It revolves around Andrea, the lead female character and her discovery of her true identity and destiny. There are all types of mythical creatures in the story.
The characters are likable, Andrea is very strong and focused.Shane the love interest seem to be your typical sweet guy full of devotion. I needed more of him.
What affected my rating is not the story itself, the problem was that I found many spelling errors, there are problems delivering the intended message in some of the paragraphs, among others things that need serious revision.
Shane and Andrea's relationship need more depth and development.
The author has a vivid imagination and a love for details. I needed the same lengthy descriptions but of the events and relationships between the characters.
There are some great parts in the story, so I'm sure that with a detailed revision the final product can be successful.
December 11, 2013
The overall story was interesting. The similarities to Twilight however, were impossible to miss. But the aspects that distinguished Believe from other vampire novels were fresh and kept me reading, despite the lack of proofreading. The grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes are evident in the first chapter, and the overuse of exclamation marks is a little off-putting.
The author does a good job of always letting you know what Andrea is thinking and feeling, though at times it makes her unlikeable. Like any 19 year old that just found out she is the a Princess in the mythical world of Vampire Hunters, Andrea struggles with acting wise beyond her years and being a normal teenager. I struggled with the change in tone between the bubbly Andrea and the one that speaks like she is from a different era.
Believe has a lot of potential, and with a good couple rounds of edits the story could be a solid read.
For the time and effort that it takes to write even a rough draft of a full-length novel, Ms. Grimm-Weever is to be commended. I am a sucker for a series and despite the fact that this book was a little hard to read, and at times follow, I’m likely to give the second one a chance in the hopes that it will be a little better edited.
The author does a good job of always letting you know what Andrea is thinking and feeling, though at times it makes her unlikeable. Like any 19 year old that just found out she is the a Princess in the mythical world of Vampire Hunters, Andrea struggles with acting wise beyond her years and being a normal teenager. I struggled with the change in tone between the bubbly Andrea and the one that speaks like she is from a different era.
Believe has a lot of potential, and with a good couple rounds of edits the story could be a solid read.
For the time and effort that it takes to write even a rough draft of a full-length novel, Ms. Grimm-Weever is to be commended. I am a sucker for a series and despite the fact that this book was a little hard to read, and at times follow, I’m likely to give the second one a chance in the hopes that it will be a little better edited.
June 8, 2012
"I really enjoyed this book.The author throws unexpected things into the plot at just the point you think there is nothing new that can be thrown in.The only problem with the book,which really isn't a problem,just me wanting more,is that it leaves you with a cliffhanger,which most good books do.I waited for half the book for that cliffhanger to be revealed and when it was you are left not knowing the main character's response to it.So,I guess I will have to wait for book two.
The book is about a girl name Andrea,who was raised by her Uncle Greg because her mom died and no one knows who her father is or what happened to him.Uncle Greg is alittle over the top with his vampire tales.Andrea grows up believing her uncle is a little crazy but when she moves to a new town to attend college,things that he uncle told her seem to have some truth or maybe she is just imagining things.She falls in love with a gorgeous,sweet guy.But could he be a vampire? And if the tales about vampires are true could the tales about vampire hunters be true too?How will this affect her and Shane's relationship,especially when Uncle Greg decides to come to Christmas dinner?
The book is about a girl name Andrea,who was raised by her Uncle Greg because her mom died and no one knows who her father is or what happened to him.Uncle Greg is alittle over the top with his vampire tales.Andrea grows up believing her uncle is a little crazy but when she moves to a new town to attend college,things that he uncle told her seem to have some truth or maybe she is just imagining things.She falls in love with a gorgeous,sweet guy.But could he be a vampire? And if the tales about vampires are true could the tales about vampire hunters be true too?How will this affect her and Shane's relationship,especially when Uncle Greg decides to come to Christmas dinner?
June 8, 2012
Well, this was an interesting read. It started off slow but quickly picked up. If Believe was a martini ,it would be one part Twilight and one part X-Men. Shaken not stirred. Garnish with a touch of mythology. Drink to your hearts content.
Andrea Dayla leaves her uncle Greg and her cousin Roger,the only family she has known, to start college at Dartmouth. She is both excited and anxious about starting college and living on her own in a new city. She meets Shane Brennen and is instantly drawn to him. They start dating, but she knows he is keeping something from her. She thinks she knows what the secret is. Could the stories her Uncle Greg told her as a child be true? Are vampires real and are they truly evil? Can she really be dating a vampire when her family mambers are supposedly vampire hunters? These are some of the dilemmas she will face. Will she be up to the challenge?
The author has created an interesting cast of characters and a story full of twists and turns. Even though there are many grammatical errors, I enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it!
Andrea Dayla leaves her uncle Greg and her cousin Roger,the only family she has known, to start college at Dartmouth. She is both excited and anxious about starting college and living on her own in a new city. She meets Shane Brennen and is instantly drawn to him. They start dating, but she knows he is keeping something from her. She thinks she knows what the secret is. Could the stories her Uncle Greg told her as a child be true? Are vampires real and are they truly evil? Can she really be dating a vampire when her family mambers are supposedly vampire hunters? These are some of the dilemmas she will face. Will she be up to the challenge?
The author has created an interesting cast of characters and a story full of twists and turns. Even though there are many grammatical errors, I enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it!
January 12, 2015
This rarely happens to me...
but I just could not get through this book.
I stopped maybe a quarter of the way through.
I commend the author for coming up with an interesting take on vampires/vampire hunters. Writing and publishing a book is hard work. This story does indeed have potential. I just do not think it came close to reaching it.
Based on the synopsis I thought it sounded like an entertaining, paranormal romance.
However, the story just did not grab me enough. Maybe the basic plot was to similar to all the others I have read in the genre. *Twilight being the foremost*
Also, I rarely find that the errors and lack of finesse in a review copy are too over bearing for me to get past.
I could not get past them in this book.
The story itself seemed a bit choppy. And the sentence structure and punctuation/spelling errors were too frequent. The formatting of dialogue and character thoughts made the story seem childish.
It was more like a second draft than a close to finished work.
but I just could not get through this book.
I stopped maybe a quarter of the way through.
I commend the author for coming up with an interesting take on vampires/vampire hunters. Writing and publishing a book is hard work. This story does indeed have potential. I just do not think it came close to reaching it.
Based on the synopsis I thought it sounded like an entertaining, paranormal romance.
However, the story just did not grab me enough. Maybe the basic plot was to similar to all the others I have read in the genre. *Twilight being the foremost*
Also, I rarely find that the errors and lack of finesse in a review copy are too over bearing for me to get past.
I could not get past them in this book.
The story itself seemed a bit choppy. And the sentence structure and punctuation/spelling errors were too frequent. The formatting of dialogue and character thoughts made the story seem childish.
It was more like a second draft than a close to finished work.
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